The present invention relates to an arrangement for protecting flowers and it particularly relates to a method for wrapping and protecting the same upon handling, shipping and display.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a relatively simple system for protecting delicate leaves, flowers and the like from damage by means readily available to florists.

Another object is to provide a simple protective device which may be readily manufactured at low cost, readily applied and then readily removed in connection with the protection of flowers and leaves from damage or marring in handling, display and shipment.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects, it has been found that it is possible to gather together the flowers and wrap a circular, thin, flexible paper band around them, having opposite cohesive coating, so that the cohesive coatings at the end of the band will adhere together without adhering to the flower.

In the preferred method, the hand is used first to gather the petals of the delicate flower together, and then the band is wrapped around the flower, with the opposite cohesive coatings on the flexible paper band adhering to one another.

Then. the band may be slipped off the flowers in an upward direction after the shipment handling has been completed and the flowers are to be placed upon display.

In a less preferred procedure it has been found that a relatively simple sleeve formed of a strip of paper or other light flexible material may be utilized to form a circular band around the lower portion of the stem below a flower or leaf display, and such wrapper then may be moved up along the stem to enclose the leaves or petals without injury thereto, and then subsequently may be lifted off to permit the petals and leaves to be spread without loss in their original attractive form or shape.

It has been particularly found that when the leaves or petals are uniformly collapsed together from below by a relatively flexible conforming sleeve, that there will be no damage to the same, and at the same time they may be readily permitted to revert to their proper position when the sleeve is removed upwardly from the petals With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a wrapper according to the present invention.

3,271,922 Patented Sept. 13, 1966 Ice - wrapped petals or flowers.

FIG. 7 is a transverse horizontal sectional view upon the line 77 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a side perspective view, showing how a group of cut flowers may be positioned on one of the Wrappers having opposite cohesive coatings at the ends thereof.

FIG. 9 is a side perspective view, showing the wrapper of FIG. 8 enclosing a group of flowers.

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view, showing how the wrapper of the present invention may be applied to a potted plant.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 10, there is shown a flexible paper sheet A which is desirably merchandised or supplied in the form of a pad, and which is designed to be formed into the upwardly divergent conical protective sleeves C, D and B.

These sheets A may desirably have two opposite facing end strips of pressure sensitive cohesive material at 10 and 11, and at the outside face of the sheet or the inside face of the sheet, there is printed in space 12 instructions as to usage.

This cohesive will adhere only to itself and not to the plant leaves or petals, and all traces of hydrocarbon solvents should be removed by thorough drying from the cohesive material.

This cohesive material generally consists of latex base adhesive, such as an aqueous dispersion of synthetic or natural rubber which may be applied to the paper in very thin coatings.

The cohesive material also will permit attachment of the various sheets A of FIGS 1 and 2 when they are used in a stack or in a pad.

The rubber coating material is of uncured nature and it will not so strongly adhere to the oppositely facing coated material as to prevent either removal of the sheets A of FIGS. 1 and 2 from one another or prevent unwrapping where desired of the flower from the position of FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10.

Desirably, the cohesive should be of such a type as to assure attachment of the oppositely facing end coatings 10 and 11 when placed in overlapping sleeve shape indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4, but not so as to prevent the contacting cohesively connected faces to be readily removed from one another.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 3 to 5, the plant F may have delicate petals G extending outwardly from the stems H.

In attaching the protective sheet A to form the conical sleeve C, the overlapping cohesive end surfaces 10 and 11 may be turned around so as to be opposite each other and so as to cross each other, as indicated successively from the positions at J, K and L in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, with the position of L indicating the final cross pattern at 13 which appears to give satisfactory adhesion and permits a comfortable wrapping of the petals without damage thereto, leaving a greater space or opening 14 at the top than at 15 on the bottom.

This overlap is indicated at 16 in FIG. 17, and although the flowers will be gathered inside of the conical space as indicated in FIG. 7, they will be upwardly pressed together and they will not be at all injured or subjected to damage.

This criss-cross pattern, as indicated at 13 in FIG. 6, 18 in FIG. 9 and 19 in FIG. 10,. permits a much wider adjustment and gives a wide variety of conical shapes C, D and E to accommodate various shapes and forms of flowers.

It will be noted that, according to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the conical sleeve is formed directly upon the flower as the petals are being gathered together by the hand M.

Less preferably, the petals may be gathered together and the conical wrapper shown at L may be formed below on the stem H and moved upwardly (see FIG. 6).

Where the sleeve completely encircles and is frictionally held in position by its contact with the gathered together leaves or petals H, this sleeve retention as indicated in FIG. 6 will hold the leaves or petals in position without damage, will permit considerable handling in connection with shipment from hothouse to florist or from florist to customer and will permit considerable rough handling from tradesmen or boys without damaging the delicate flowers, petals or leaves.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9, a group of cut flowers N may be placed in the central portion 12 between the oppositely facing cohesive coatings and 11, and the flowers may then be wrapped as indicated at FIG. 9 with the cohesive coatings crossing at 18 and with the stems projecting as indicated at 21, 25, and with the blossoms being fully protected.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 10, there is a potted flower E, having the stem 26 extending upwardly from the pot 27 and the flowers thereof may also be wrapped by the same form of sleeve, with the cohesive coatings oppositely facing on the ends of the strip A, joined together as indicated at 19 in criss-cross fashion.

In all instances, the conical wrappers C, D and B may he slid ofi the flowers upwardly and the petals or leaves will immediately spring back to their natural position.

This close wrapping of the leaves or flowers apparently conserves the moisture, extends the freshness for a prolonged period of time, and does not in any way injure or mar the desirable and attractive appearance of the leaves or petals.

It is important that the sleeves C, D and E be of such diameter they will be fractionally held in position by the leaves or petals G, N and P without substantially pressing them together and without tending to fall downwardly along the stern.

When the flower or plant is received at the place of display, the sleeves C, D and B may he slipped off in an upward direction 14, and the leaves or petals of the flower or plant will immediately spring back to the position indicated in FIG. 3.

It is thus apparent that the present applicants have provided a simple readily applicable inexpensive system of packaging delicate leaf or flower plants for handling before and after display in a florist shop.

The present invention is particularly applicable to protection of poinsettia, Easter lilies, gloxinia, chrysanthemum, birds of paradise, lily of the valley, daisies and similar plants which require protection during shipment in trucks and by messenger, and where if the blossoms are wrapped individually in tissue paper which is then knotted, there frequently will be damage. In general, the present system lifts the petals or leaves upwardly toward the ascending stem and away from the lower stem portion.

The pressure sensitive cohesive material may be of a natural or synthetic latex or aqueous emulsion, desirably devoid of hydrocarbon solvents, and in view of the nature of the elastomeric base and plasticizer and resins included, the tacky nature of the adhesive is such that it will only adhere to itself and not to the leaves, petals or other objects.

This permits the sheets to be made in the form of a pad with the individual sheets being readily separated from one another.

The enclosure will not only protect the leaves and petals from rough handling by florists, tradesmen, shipping personnel and delivery boys, but will also protect the moisture in the leaves and petals and prevent drying thereof by cross currents of air.

The flowing of convection air currents and the evaporation of moisture from leaves and petals is reduced to a minimum.

As many changes could be made in the above flower wrapping system, and many widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention, in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. A method for protecting and packaging delicate leaved and petaled flowers, said packaging being limited to the height of the petals and extending upwardly only over the height of the petals from where the petals form the stem to the upper ends of the petals without compressing the petals but with the petals being in close immobilizing contact, comprising gathering together the petals upwardly together and inwardly toward the stem from below, providing a light thin flexible paper rectangle having the height only of the petals and formed into a conical sleeve around the stem below th leaves and petals to be protected, said paper rectangle having oppositely facing end coatings of a cohesive material extending the height of the edges thereof which will adhere to itself and not to the flowers, overlapping the end edges of the sleeve with the overlap carrying the light cohesive coatings and permitting adjustment to lightly frictionally encircle the flower petals, and then enclosing the gathered petals by closing the sleeve around the same, said sleeve being held in position by the frictional expansion tendency of the gathered leaves and petals, and said sleeve having conical shape with narrowing diameter downwardly toward the stem.

2. The method of making the package of claim 1 wherein in enclosing the gathered petals by closing the sleeve around the same, the said paper rectangle is wrapped around the gathered petals so that the opposite ends will overlap in a criss-cross portion with the end edges crossing and cohering to one and another about midway of the petals.

Method and apparatus for covering portions of an object with a sheet of material having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating applied to at least a portion of at least one surface of the sheet of material

Method and apparatus for covering portions of an object with a sheet of material having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating applied to at least a portion of at least one surface of the sheet of material